Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector (2020) s01e06 Episode Script

1 Previously, on "Lincoln Rhyme" What is the Bone Collector trying to tell us about each new murder? Jane wanted to come by and say hi.
She is fascinated by what you do.
You're not a very nice person, Jane.
You were a good friend to Danielle.
But all good things must come to an end.
Our breaking story, the return of the Bone Collector.
We beat the Bone Collector at his game.
We're going to play a new game.
[GLASS SHATTERS.]
So let me address the Bone Collector directly if he's watching.
For eight years, we let you set the rules.
But now we're done.
We have a new game with new rules.
And all you need to know is, we're coming for you, and we will find you.
We're coming for you, and we will find you.
We're coming for you, and we will find you.
We're coming for you, and we will find you.
- Hey.
- Hey.
- Everything okay? - I'm fine.
Everything's fine.
I got some coffee and croissants.
I'm not hungry.
Okay, now I know something's wrong.
I told you, I'm fine.
A lot of things on my mind.
Are you sure you're okay? I'm fine.
Really, I am.
All right, see you later.
I was up all night with the Bone Collector.
- Welcome to my world.
- I was going over his profile thinking about his very first kill.
Now, I don't care how good he is now, He would have made mistakes then.
He most likely made plenty of mistakes.
I think I found one.
Barry Rotko, 17, Westchester County, a missing persons case.
30 years ago, Barry Rotko goes jogging, never comes home.
Investigators find a pit dug along the jogging path, like a trap.
In it, some of Rotko's blood.
Oh, we know his M.
O.
: kidnap, disable the victim, kill them later somewhere else.
It's possible.
I had Eric request the original evidence.
We should have it by tomorrow.
Like you said, new game, new rules.
In the meantime, Sellitto was on his way up.
I've got something else for the team.
Her name is Kamala Patel, murdered in her home two nights ago.
- Any suspects? - Her husband, Raj.
Witnesses heard them arguing.
The location of his phone pings him to the house at the time of the murder.
His prints are on the murder weapon.
Okay, I'll go out on a limb.
The guy did it.
- I'll co-sign that.
- He says he didn't.
But the evidence says otherwise, doesn't it? Yes, it does.
Okay, I'm lost.
Evidence reveals all.
What happened to that? Lincoln, I mean, you don't usually bring us cases.
Why this one? The accused, Raj Patel, went to Columbia with Naia.
She introduced him to Kamala.
So you knew the victim.
I did.
They were both friends of mine.
I'm sorry.
The four of us spent a lot of time together.
I know him.
Raj didn't do this.
Look, I'm very sorry for your loss, and I hate to play Lincoln Rhyme here, but just because you knew the guy doesn't meant he didn't kill his wife.
I realize that.
But something doesn't add up.
It's too neat, too obvious.
So we're taking the case because the evidence is too good.
Exactly.
Raj is being held pending arraignment.
Talk to him.
Get his side of the story.
Either find me something to go on or convince me that I don't know this man the way I think I do.
I didn't do it.
Please, you have to believe me.
Why don't you start by telling me about that night? What happened? - We had an argument.
- Oh, Raj, I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry.
Look, look, it's over, okay? I ended it, I swear.
Kamala had strayed away from the marriage.
I was upset.
I'm done.
No, Raj.
No.
Raj.
Raj.
I stormed out.
[GRUNTING.]
And I realized that I had forgotten my keys.
It was just a few minutes, but when I came back in, Kamala was [DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Kamala.
No.
No! Kamala! It was awful.
There was no sign anyone had been in the room.
No.
None.
Is there anything you could remember that might help us figure this out? I wish there was.
I've lost everything.
My wife.
My life.
Naia always said Lincoln can solve anything.
I need Lincoln's help, please.
Lincoln, I can't believe it.
I just spoke with Kamala last week.
She was gonna come out and visit me.
It's hit me hard too knowing she's gone, Raj being in prison.
There's no way he did this.
You know that.
There's just no way.
He wouldn't.
I know.
You have to help him.
Lincoln, he needs you.
I'll do everything I can to try and find out what happened.
You'll get him out of this, right? I mean, you'll find the evidence? Naia, I'll do everything I can.
I trust you, Lincoln.
I trust you to find the truth.
It's not good, Lincoln.
We just came from the morgue.
There's no other traces on the body, no other prints on the knife.
Amelia, you met him.
You sat with him.
What's your take? I think he's suffering.
He just lost his wife.
And when he says he's innocent Do you believe him? I want to.
Someone's been training me not to rely on my gut.
Lincoln, all due respect, I don't think we should be on this case.
I think you're too emotionally involved.
I agree.
Look, I know he's your friend, but he looks good for this.
What do you think? I trust you, Lincoln.
You're not sentimental, and you're not easily swayed my emotion.
So if you truly believe the evidence is out there to exonerate him, then I say we have to go find it.
Okay, I'm in Kamala's art studio.
There's a considerable amount of blood.
I'm sorry, Lincoln.
I know she was your friend.
I don't need a therapist, Amelia.
I just need to see.
Well, I see footprints.
Yes.
The crime scene reports states that it belongs to Raj.
He says he discovered her body, so that's not unusual.
The thing I can't figure out is, Raj said he left the house, realized he forgot his keys, was back in three minutes tops.
The killer had a simple way in.
Well, the door hasn't been tampered with.
Maybe Raj left it unlocked.
What about the windows? Wait.
See that? What? Two distinct smudges on the outside of the glass.
Get closer.
Oh, yeah.
Cup your hands to your face.
Palm prints.
The outer edges.
Collect that trace.
Oil from the hands will give us DNA, so we'll know who was spying on the Patels.
Or who was trying to get in.
Why did we find your palm prints on a window, Dave? You know this woman? That's Kamala, my neighbor.
Those prints make it clear you were spying on her.
Kamala and me, we were friends.
Neighbors look out for each other, you know.
I was checking on her.
So why not knock on the door, ring the doorbell, give her a call? Because you were creeping on her, hmm? I was worried about her.
Heard her fighting with her husband a few nights ago.
- I thought maybe - You'd just swoop in.
Maybe she rejected you.
You got angry, lost control.
I was working the night she died.
There are time logs, security cameras.
You can check.
You see anybody else? A guy she was with? Anything unusual? There was an electrical van idling the whole time I was there, seemed weird to me.
I don't know why you're wasting your time with me.
It was obviously her husband.
That guy has problems.
Dave Chen's alibi checked out.
He's a creepy perv, but he didn't kill Kamala.
And her boss, the one she was sleeping with, his wife confirms his alibi.
Lincoln, I know there are no dead ends, but There are no paths to follow.
I found one.
I started with the hypothesis that Raj is innocent, yet the evidence points to him.
Two similar cases within the last six months.
Wives stabbed multiple times in the torso.
Witnesses heard them fighting, husbands tied to the murder scene, their prints on the murder weapon.
I hate to be the naysayer here, but husbands killing their wives, it happens.
And then there's this.
When you look at all three victims, tell me what you see.
- No defensive wounds.
- Right.
With stabbings, you see wounds on their hands and arms from them trying to defend themselves.
Kamala was a fighter.
She would have fought like hell.
So you're saying there's a connection between these three cases.
Let's talk to the husbands.
I may have an answer to why there are no defensive wounds.
Taser marks.
Uh, not seeing it.
Which is why the M.
E.
missed it.
The killer incapacitated them with a Taser and then stabbed them over the Taser marks to cover it up.
Look.
If you look closely, you can see the fractional edge of a superficial burn here and small puncture wound from the metal probe here.
He went through a lot of trouble to cover his tracks.
We're talking one M.
O.
One killer.
Which means Raj is innocent and there's a serial killer out there planning the perfect murder.
[FURNACE RATTLING.]
You've got to be kidding me.
[FOREBODING MUSIC.]
Oh, my God.
I know everything points to me.
But I didn't kill her.
I had a one-night stand, and she found out.
But that's all I'm guilty of.
We had our issues, but what couple doesn't? I was angry.
- Yes, we fought.
- I said I wished she was dead.
I was only out the room for, like, five minutes.
And I know that points the finger at me, but it's not so.
She was gone.
I tried to stop the bleeding, but it was too late.
I had her blood all over me.
It was awful.
I can't unsee her just lying there on the ground.
My prints were on the knife.
Any jury would convict.
My lawyer said it would be best if I took the ten years than spend the rest of my life here.
You have to believe me.
I didn't do this.
Someone else killed my wife.
Please, you have to believe me.
Got to say, these guys sound credible.
Their stories are identical.
Yeah, even I'm starting to believe them.
We're looking at three murders, three innocent people.
You know, for somebody to do this, to time it just right, how? Start by taking a new look at the evidence.
Evidence for all three cases organized accordingly.
Good.
We look at every piece of evidence, every fingerprint, every hair, fiber, and speck of dust.
Got it.
Leave no stone unturned.
Sounds like I should make coffee.
The big pot.
Can't believe I'm saying this, but I can't find anything.
Hey, investigators did their due diligence.
The evidence points to the husbands.
Yeah, I mean, there's no connection between these couples.
I mean, they didn't know each other.
They didn't go to the same places.
How would the killer know to target them? I think I can help.
This is from Raj's house.
It's called a HomeStar.
- A server, right? - Correct.
Now, it runs your home's networks.
Well, I checked.
The other two victims had one as well.
Which tell us what? How our killer got information on the victims.
By hacking the server, he was able to gain access to their phones, their computers.
Gave him the keys to their personal lives.
Exactly.
Look, let's say we want to get information about Eric.
You know, learn his dark secrets.
Not a chance.
Got a security app on my phone, my vault.
Really? Okay.
"I'm E.
Die-hard Mets fan.
"Wiz in the kitchen.
Good listener.
Sundays are fun days.
" Swipe left.
Profile's public.
Anyone can see that.
Okay, E.
How about this? Security cameras inside your house.
Oh.
That's deeply disturbing.
And I was able to do that in mere seconds.
Get me a sophisticated metadata, I can get a lot more.
- How much more? - Texts, emails.
Look, it's as simple as a Google search.
Type a key phrase into the search bar of a sophisticated program "hate," "affair," "kill you" you're gonna get hits.
Like profiling, he knows the key words to search, the precursors to the fights.
Wait for the moment their fight's about to boil over.
That's when he strikes.
[TELEPHONE RINGS.]
Sellitto.
So the guy has to have left some kind of digital footprint.
With the search tools we have now, no footprint at all.
Look, if this guy's as good as I think he is, we're not catching him online.
He's a ghost.
Thanks.
Sorry to pile on with bad news, but it looks like our killer struck again.
Wife dead.
No defensive wounds.
Husband in custody.
This killer thinks he's invisible.
But every move, every step, every breath, he makes himself visible to us.
So let's find him.
Victim is Samantha Layton, 33.
- Multiple stab wounds.
- Taser? Told the M.
E.
on site to look.
I'll confirm at the morgue.
Well, what do we know about their marriage? Well, they owned this real estate business together, but it was failing.
There's records of arguments in emails, texts, and the office manager heard them argue a lot.
Husband's in custody telling everyone he's innocent.
And they have a HomeStar.
We'll keep you updated if we find any more info.
House has been converted into an office.
Show me the windows.
There's a thin layer of dust on them.
I don't think they've been opened.
The killer got in somehow.
What about the front door? Uh No sign of forced entry.
And the back door is dead-bolted from the inside.
Felix says all the victims' security cameras were disabled at the time of the murder, including the door cam.
So you think the killer just walked in through the front door? Bring me the lock.
If he did breach the lock, I want to see if he left us something.
Hmm.
Want to know how they got in? Yeah.
See this plastic splinter? It's part of a 3-D printed key.
Well, how did the perp get a key? I mean, I know they have digital access, but not actual access.
If Felix was right, all they would have to do is get the security images of the front door from HomeStar, zoom in on the key when the targets came in, take a screenshot, and then make a 3-D printed key from that.
I really need to upgrade my home security system.
Wow, so we were right.
The killer just walked through the front door.
And that is why the timing of the murders was so perfect.
Because these couples had a killer in their midst, and they didn't even know it.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
- How'd it go? - Met with the DA.
She's willing to wait on a formal indictment, but if we don't prove this theory, they're gonna hit Raj with murder one.
- Are they still holding him? - They have 72 hours.
- How's he doing? - Last I talked to him, he was trying to hold on to hope but losing.
- Mm.
- Well, I've got his back.
I was able to get a partial print from the key fragment.
Not enough to run, but if we land a suspect, I'll be able to match it.
Okay, got something.
I did a deep dive on the electrical van Dave Chen saw.
Now, it could be nothing, but it could be a cover for the killer to be in the neighborhood.
There were no photos of it at the other crime scenes, but there was a security camera across the street from the second victim's house.
Tracked it down.
We got this.
Check out the lettering.
- E-L-E? - If that says electrical, that places the same van at two crime scenes.
Right, but we don't even know if it's a real electrical van or a cover.
Oh, and that's why I pulled all registered commercial electrical vans in the tri-state area.
Thousands.
But maybe there's a way we can narrow it down.
Dave Chen said the van was idling the entire time he was outside Kamala's house.
It was cold that night.
He was probably running the heater, which means it was likely releasing some kind of fluids.
You think we can get a trace from the van in a city full of cars leaking fluid? I think it rained right before.
I think that narrows the odds.
If Sellitto and Eric can find out exactly where Chen thinks it was parked, we can try.
So we're looking for a needle in an asphalt haystack.
Mm, no more unlikely than the parking ticket that nailed Son of Sam or Ted Bundy being pulled over for driving a stolen car.
Every scrap of evidence leads back to someone.
[FOREBODING MUSIC.]
[CELL PHONE BUZZING.]
- Danielle? - You need to come home.
Why? What's wrong? I just need you to come home now.
Okay.
I'll be right there.
[PHONE BEEPS.]
Eric and Sellitto brought me asphalt from where the van was parked.
You can get something from it? It's called a poultice.
Lay it on top of any granite, marble, or asphalt surface, pulls all the oil out.
Makes for a great homemade cleaner.
You good? I guess I'm still shocked at Lincoln's emotional involvement in this case.
I feel for him.
He doesn't look like he cares all the time.
But here's a little secret about Lincoln Rhyme.
He cares all the time.
Please tell me they found more than just potholes out there.
The poultice pulled out the oil from the asphalt with a high concentration of zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate.
An additive used to prevent engine wear in older cars.
Which tells us that the van is at least six years old.
So that narrows the list.
But get this, that particular additive, it's an off-brand.
It's only sold at two repair shops in the five boroughs.
I ran receipts from the last year, narrowed the listing further.
- By how many? - Two electrical vans.
And one was a van from Elmwood Electric.
So the company went out of business.
They sold up their fleet at an auction.
I got list of the customers, ran the names, got a hit on a guy in the system for a hacking charge.
Ran the prints.
Guess what.
Matched our partial prints.
Garrett Harrison.
Tech support at HomeStar.
- Eric's putting a BOLO out.
- He was fired ten months ago.
- Fired why? - Interpersonal conflict.
I dug into his background and found the real kicker.
When he was a teenager, his father killed his mother right in front of him after one too many fights.
Father went on trial, beat the rap, destroyed the family.
Well, at least now we know why he targets fighting couples.
He's acting out what he saw his parents do.
This happened when he was a teenager.
Why has he suddenly started killing? Anything could have triggered him, really.
I've got his address, but be careful.
He's ahead of us.
You're right, Felix.
Which is why I want you to go with them.
Right.
Yeah, I I can do that.
[FOREBODING MUSIC.]
Okay, on three.
One.
Two.
Wait.
I'm getting a Z-Wave signal coming from inside the unit.
- What? - Meaning Garrett's running a smart lock on the door itself.
He can control it from anywhere.
Yeah, but we're gonna bypass that the old-fashioned way.
Which would trigger an alarm.
He could remotely erase the hard drive before we have a chance to look at it.
I can bypass it the new way.
Okay.
NYPD! [DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Clear.
- Clear.
- First floor's clear.
Check in the basement.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER.]
Are you gambling again? You promised that you'd stop.
Basement's clear.
Look at this setup.
Lincoln, are you seeing this? He's got multiple camera angles from inside their house.
You lost all of it.
Looks like we just found his next target.
Their entire house is run through a HomeStar.
Security cameras.
He's been watching for weeks.
Yeah, this guy's sick.
Continue playing that video.
You lost all of it? I won't do it again.
I promise.
We never should have bought this house.
We can't pay our bills.
We can't pay our mortgage.
I could kill you.
"I could kill you"? Sounds like the kind of fight that would trigger him.
Yeah, for all we know, he could be there now.
We need names, address, phone numbers.
- We've got to warn them.
- On it.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
What just happened? He wrote a self-destruct code to prevent unauthorized logins.
I can beat him.
It's gonna take time.
There might be another way.
What are you thinking? Rewind.
Stop.
The style looks to be Medieval Revival, pointed arch windows, chandelier, all original and meticulously maintained.
It could be an historic home.
Zoom in on the husband's shirt.
It's an emblem for the Bronx Museum of Natural History.
He could live somewhere in the vicinity of the Bronx.
There are a handful of historic districts in the Bronx.
Wait.
Enlarge the right side of the frame.
The book on the coffee table, zoom in.
It's a book on Dwight James Baum, noted architect of the early 20th century.
He did most of his work in the Bronx, where he built half the homes in what would become the Fieldston Historic District.
Can you narrow it down a little more? It's a small area, about 250 homes.
But they were arguing that they shouldn't have bought it.
I'll check recent real estate listings to see if I can match the interior.
Give me a minute.
We'll head there now to see if we can spot the van.
I'm gonna stay here and see if I can get this back up and running.
I'll let the unis know.
I got it! 4400 Waldo Avenue.
The house is listed under Richard and Michaela Garfield.
Let's go.
ESU is five minutes out.
Electrical van's been spotted outside.
Exigent circumstances if ever I saw it.
Lincoln, we're going in.
Door's unlocked.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
Hands up.
NYPD.
- What's happening? - Richard Garfield? There's an intruder in your house.
Is your wife home? - Oh God, Michaela.
- We'll get her.
I need you to wait outside, Richard.
- But my wife.
- We will find her.
I need you outside.
Husband's secure.
Wife's in the house.
Felix says, with his set up gear, he can watch you from his phone.
I want you all to move carefully.
Take care of each other.
Yeah.
I like the sound of that.
Okay.
I'm gonna move room to room until we Lincoln? He's controlling the lights.
It's pitch black in here, Lincoln.
Felix engineered your rig with night vision.
I'll help guide you.
Night vision mode.
[BREATHING HEAVILY.]
I still can't see.
You can do this, Amelia.
There's a hallway in front of you with a door.
[GASPING.]
NYPD.
You're gonna be okay.
I need paramedics.
Got female victim, stabbed in the chest.
Okay.
Hang on.
I'm getting you help.
She needs to hear your voice.
You're doing great, Amelia.
One step at a time.
I'm right here with you.
Breath.
Just breath.
There's a door ahead.
It's slightly ajar.
I'm checking the basement.
Ambo's here.
ESU is two minutes out.
I'm checking the perimeter.
- What is this? - Some sort of storage base.
Who are these people? Stop.
Amelia, be still.
Don't say a word.
At 5:00 is a man hiding.
Now, we don't know what he can see.
Eric, get down there.
Felix, get those lights on.
I know you're there.
Garrett? We know who you are.
We know what you've been through.
We know everything.
I know you've been hurt, and I know you want to hurt people back.
You think you can talk me down? Lead me to some sort of breakthrough, hmm? I want you to know that I get it.
Look, I can help you.
You know you're not walking out of here.
So it's up to you how this plays out, okay? This can end easily Or the hard way.
All you have to do is Ugh! Amelia! Amelia.
Amelia, talk to me.
Felix, we need those lights.
Just a few more seconds.
We don't have a few more seconds.
[GASPING.]
[GUNSHOT.]
- Amelia.
- Yeah.
Tell me you're okay.
I'm good.
Someone should call Lincoln.
[EXHALES.]
[LAUGHS.]
Suspect in custody.
Okay.
What was the gunshot? Me firing at shadows.
And hitting them.
She got him.
Yes, she did.
Great job, Amelia.
[RADIO CHATTER.]
[EXHALES.]
He's stable.
Medic thinks it was a through-and-through and didn't hit any major arteries.
Not bad for a blind shot.
Well, I wasn't blind.
I had Lincoln.
He was my eyes for a change.
- What about Michaela? - She's on her way to surgery, but they say she's gonna be okay.
We must have stopped him when we came in.
Felix is working the apartment.
He thinks he found the trigger.
Garrett's neighbor said he had a girlfriend.
They had a huge fight.
She ghosted him.
Let me guess.
This was six months ago right before the first murder.
You know, Amelia, you really should go to the hospital, make sure you're okay.
I'm okay.
Thank you.
I, uh, I have somewhere else I need to be.
Mm.
- They're letting me go? - By morning.
They're dropping the charges, Raj.
Same with the others.
[SOBBING.]
Thank you, Lincoln.
You saved Raj's life.
It won't bring Kamala back.
No, but at least he has a chance to heal.
Mm.
Now we all can.
I talked to Kamala's mother.
Her funeral is this Sunday in New Hampshire.
I'm gonna fly out for it.
I'd like to be there.
And I'd like to see you.
[CHUCKLES.]
But I know you're busy.
We're getting closer to the Bone Collector, hunting old cases, taking a new approach.
I'm gonna find him this time, Naia.
Put that fear to rest once and for all.
I hope so for all of us.
Tell Camden I love him.
I will.
[KNOCK AT DOOR.]
[CLEARS THROAT.]
Come in.
You have a visitor.
Oh.
Don't you think you've earned a good night's sleep? Ahh, I earned more than that.
Mm.
But I seem to remember you making a promise to find the Bone Collector, and the Barry Rotko boxes have arrived.
Unless, you know, you're too tired.
Claire, put on some coffee? One coffee and one green smoothie coming up.
I'd like to thank you.
No need.
We did it for you.
Should we get started? Let's find the Bone Collector.
Hey.
Everything okay? We need to talk.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
I found these today.
They were hidden in the wall.
I couldn't even look at them all.
These are awful.
I'm shaking.
I think these are real.
I think someone who lived here before us might be A killer.
We should call the police.
Yes.
Yes.
I'll call 911.
No, 911 is for imminent danger.
We'll we'll call first thing tomorrow.
- Tomorrow? - It'll wait.
No, honey, this is bad.
And this guy could still be out there.
I think I mean, some of these pictures like, this is Jane.
[GASPS.]
Come with me.
Trust me.
It'll all be okay.
[EERIE MUSIC.]